The Work We Do
by David Conrad
Compass Point, 2003
Text and photographs provide basic descriptions of a wide variety of occupations.

On Level

Levi Strauss
by Tiffany Peterson
Heinemann, 2003
This simple biography tells the story of the entrepreneur famous for inventing blue jeans.

Supermarket
by Kathleen Krull
Holiday, 2001
This behind-the-scenes look at a supermarket tells how food gets from farm to market.

Mama's Coming Home
by Kate Banks
Farrar, 2003
As Mama makes her way home from work, Papa and the boys get ready for her arrival.

That's Our Librarian!
by Ann Morris
Millbrook, 2003
Among the services she provides for her school, Mrs. Rodriguez helps the students choose books and arranges cultural events. See others in the series.

Night Worker
by Kate Banks
Farrar, 2001
Alex's father, an engineer who works at night, takes Alex on a tour of his work site.

Apple Cider Making Days
by Ann Purmell
Millbrook, 2002
Two children follow their grandfather through the cider-making process, from picking apples to selling the juice.

Challenge

Mr. Tanen's Tie Trouble
by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Whitman, 2003
When Mr. Tanen's school runs out of funds for the new playground, he comes up with a creative way to raise money.

Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out
by Ted Lewin
Harper, 2002
A boy describes helping out at the busy Chinese take-out restaurant his family runs.

Follow the Money!
by Loreen Leedy
Holiday, 2003
A quarter describes all of the ways it is used from the time it is minted, from being deposited in a bank to being spent in a pet store.

Manuela's Gift
by Kristyn Rehling Estes
Chronicle, 1999
Even though Manuela doesn't receive the new dress she wants for her birthday, she realizes she has much to celebrate.

Subway Sonata
by Patricia Lakin
Millbrook, 2001
Every day, Carlos, Rachel, Paul, and Maria all ride the same subway to their jobs, but each does a different kind of creative work.

Read Aloud and Reference

Read Aloud Books

Work Song
by Gary Paulsen
Harcourt, 2000
People at work are depicted in poetic text and handsome paintings in this song of praise to jobs well done.

Grandma and Me at the Flea/Los meros meros remateros
by Juan Felipe Herrera
Children's Book Press, 2002
Every Saturday, Juanito goes with his grandmother to a flea market where they sell, buy, and trade with other vendors. Text in English and Spanish.

Those Building Men
by Angela Johnson
Scholastic, 2001
Poetic text pays tribute to the men who performed monumental labor building roads, bridges, railroads, and skyscrapers in America.

Sweet Potato Pie
by Kathleen D. Lindsey
Lee & Low, 2003
During a drought, a family saves their farm by making and selling sweet potato pies.

Was It a Good Trade?
by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
Harper, 2002
A man ends up with the original item he traded away in this humorous, rhyming story.

Reference Books

Community Helpers from A to Z
by Bobbie Kalman
Crabtree, 1999
This alphabetic look at careers represents all kinds of people for the important jobs they do.

Kids' Money Book
by Neale S. Godfrey
Simon, 2002
A financial expert provides children with the resources they need to feel confident in understanding money and our economy.

From Seashells to Smart Cards
by Ernestine Giesecke
Heinemann, 2003
This history of money around the world includes photographs and reproductions of objects used as early currency.